The question was whether or not Dr.Mark was a doctor. We are answering you: Yes. He is a doctor. If you have a PHD, you are a doctor, and so it follows that it's completely within your rights to refer to yourself as such. Many professors at universities also go by the title "Doctor", despite not having medical degrees.

We're happy to hear jokes about video games, provided that they are funny or at the very least respectfully on-topic.

My friend has a doctorate in ancient religion, do you want to go to him for medical advice? I can give you his email.

Why should we listen to a doctor for a question about gaming addiction when they aren't likely to know any more about it than the average person on the street?

Because his advice is sound and is an acknowledged method for overcoming non-chemical addiction? Because identifying habit triggers and cognitive dysfunctions is a proven method for breaking poor habit cycles? Because he's a compassionate (seemingly) individual with a record of sound writing on video-game addiction? Because being a doctor doesn't disqualify you from knowing the basics on how to advise somebody in this situation? Because he also states that if the problem is severe and persists a professional should be contacted?

Any of those, really.

This. Thank you Ultrajoe, for writing exactly what went through my mind. I think it's a shame when people go to articles like this, that are giving advice that I find so helpful and well-written and can also be applied to other stuff than gaming habits, and make a discussion about the person giving the advice, instead of adding other kind of perspective to the advice subject.By the way, excellent article, Dr.!

Blood Brain Barrier:We're not talking etymology, but the use of the word, in public use, as a title. When I have a column called "ask Dr. Blood Brain Barrier" with no more information there is the assumption that I'm a physician and not a lawyer, physiotherapist or priest no matter what qualifications I have. I don't know where you live but it would have to be a strange place for that not to be the case. End of story.

You can go on simply insisting you're right, but it's not providing your case any weight whatsoever. If I make mention of "Dr. Freud," no one wonders if I'm referencing some obscure gastroenterologist. And while I think the guy's a hack, "Dr. Phil" has never been confused with a pediatrician.

Now, I can certainly agree that, nine times out of ten, when people say someone is "a doctor" without any kind of qualifier, they're indicating a medical or psychological doctor. I can also agree that medical doctor is more often the intent. But that's not what we're debating here.

The title of doctor requires only one thing: a doctorate in a particular field. That is, in fact, why it is called a doctorate. It's perfectly correct for Dr. Mark to call himself Dr. Mark. Why? Because he is Dr. Mark. And no, he doesn't have to append PsyD to his name to be correct.

Now, to avoid confusion, most Drs. do tend to add the type of doctor to the end.

Dr. Smith, DDS. Dr. House, MD. Dr. Johnson, Ed. D.

And also when someone asks me what I do and I say "a doctor", it should be obvious the meaning of the word isn't intended to be "someone who is master of something". That would be a ridiculous and pointless reply giving no information as to my profession.

Colloquial use of a term doesn't negate the meaning of the term. It just means in certain cases, more context is expected because of certain assumptions. What's more, you're not talking about a title anymore.

If someone says, "I'm Dr. Campbell," that's a correct use of the title regardless of what their doctorate may be. If I say, "I'm a doctor," instead of "I'm a doctor of music composition," I'm not providing enough information. I'm misusing the colloquial understanding. What I'm saying isn't incorrect, but it is unclear and ambiguous in many situations. Having the title of doctor, and saying you're "A doctor" have different connotations, but neither is correct or incorrect universally.

Dr. Mark is Dr. Mark. He's a psychological doctor. His title is perfectly fine to use, because it is 100% correct and accurate. Now, if he was just running around saying, "Trust me, I'm a doctor," you could argue he's being deliberately misleading.

Let's get this "title" business out of the way, since it's not even the original point: If all this was completely true then medical professionals who don't have a doctorate but are entitled to practice medicine wouldn't be called doctors. Claiming that medical doctors can't call themself doctors because they don't have a doctorate is beyond silly, especially when the primary definition for "doctor" is "a person who is qualified to treat people who are ill" (Oxford dictionary). I go to my GP all the time. He's called Dr. (name), but doesn't hold a doctorate. How does that work?

What this tells us is that it's the way that we use words that matter, not correct usage. It's neither correct nor incorrect to say "I want to see the doctor" when the person concerned doesn't have a doctorate, because it's understood that you want to see the medical practitioner, and it's been understood that way for many hundreds of years. Now when you go see a lawyer you don't say "I want to see the doctor" - though that may be strictly correct because he holds an LLD, it's simply not what is said in common usage. Try going to your local lawyer's office and say that line to the receptionist. If you don't get any confused looks, then I'll yield to your views 100%.

The bold part of your post is all that I was ever saying. It seems we don't really disagree after all.

Salad Is Murder:My friend has a doctorate in ancient religion, do you want to go to him for medical advice? I can give you his email.

Blood Brain Barrier: Claiming that medical doctors can't call themself doctors because they don't have a doctorate is beyond silly, especially when the primary definition for "doctor" is "a person who is qualified to treat people who are ill" (Oxford dictionary). I go to my GP all the time. He's called Dr. (name), but doesn't hold a doctorate. How does that work?

The term doctor describing a person that practices medicine, and the title doctor are two different things. This has been said many many many times. This is not a difficult concept.

From the freaking Oxford Dictionary.

doctor

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒktə/noun

1 person who is qualified to treat people who are ill: [as title]: Doctor Thornhill

2 (Doctor) a person who holds the highest university degree:

THIS IS NOT DIFFICULT. Popular/Common usage is irrelevant. That is what the word means. Deal.

ANYWAY. Its actually a very interesting article because even without knowing that Dr.Mark played WoW(up until he says it) you can get the impression that he has been through that exact situation. A good read all around, I might need to send in my own question at some point.

Salad Is Murder:My friend has a doctorate in ancient religion, do you want to go to him for medical advice? I can give you his email.

Blood Brain Barrier: Claiming that medical doctors can't call themself doctors because they don't have a doctorate is beyond silly, especially when the primary definition for "doctor" is "a person who is qualified to treat people who are ill" (Oxford dictionary). I go to my GP all the time. He's called Dr. (name), but doesn't hold a doctorate. How does that work?

The term doctor describing a person that practices medicine, and the title doctor are two different things. This has been said many many many times. This is not a difficult concept.

From the freaking Oxford Dictionary.

doctor

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒktə/noun

1 person who is qualified to treat people who are ill: [as title]: Doctor Thornhill

2 (Doctor) a person who holds the highest university degree:

THIS IS NOT DIFFICULT. Popular/Common usage is irrelevant. That is what the word means. Deal.

ANYWAY. Its actually a very interesting article because even without knowing that Dr.Mark played WoW(up until he says it) you can get the impression that he has been through that exact situation. A good read all around, I might need to send in my own question at some point.

Ugh, the dictionary quote...truly the last gasp of a failing argument. I came here to respond to a post of mine that you quoted, only to find that you've changed the content of your message, but that's neither here nor there anymore.

You are treading dangerous semantic territory here, the difference in the definitions (that you listed) are very context dependent. I would say their usage in this case is very relevant, as I was attempting to state through heavy-handed and completely passed-over sarcasm and humor (would you see a doctorate in english about a toothache kinda stuff here), when I really just came here to make that Dr. Mario joke and defend my profession.

You have been arguing about the meaning on the word and its usage, so I gave you its defined meaning. That quote is its defined meaning and multiple other organizations have that same meaning. It doesn't matter if it isnt "common" usage or if people might get confused when you use it that way, its what it means.

You haven't made a single logical argument this entire time, so heres a simple framework for you which is used in arguments and thought experiments.

1.One meaning of doctor is the use of it as title by people with doctorate(as per the words definition)2.Mark Kline has a doctorate.3.By 1 and 2 Mark Kline can call himself a doctor.

Thanks to all who have commented on the article. People who write to me have serious questions about gaming-related issues, and I know they benefit as much from the contributions of fellow readers as they do from my thoughts.

As to my credentials, I am a psychologist with a doctorate in clinical psychology. I'm also a licensed health service provider in practice for 22 years. While anyone with a doctorate can technically can themselves "doctor," and some who are not health service providers choose to do so (I have known academics who prefer to be called "doctor" rather than "professor"), it is common practice to refer to a psychologist as doctor because we are both academically doctoral and health service providers.

It is no big news that some people are skeptical of psychology as a profession and believe we aren't real doctors and/or have nothing to offer. I don't encounter this attitude much in my work, as these folks are unlikely to seek my counsel.

As stated by others above, my intent in writing this column is to share knowledge of gaming issues gleaned from years of professional practice as well as from my own experiences as a gamer.

I have greatly enjoyed hearing from many thoughtful members of The Escapist community, and I'm pleased to know that some of you have found the columns interesting and helpful. Keep your great questions coming!